


Why Do Our Movie Plans Never Work Out?

by merdel11



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: (movies), 80's AU, 80's Music, Alternate Universe - High School, Apollo (Percy Jackson) is a Good Parent, Bon Jovi - Freeform, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Friendship, Gen, Happy Nico, High School, Implied Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Mullets, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Nico di Angelo has Friends, Not Canon Compliant - The Trials of Apollo, POV Nico di Angelo, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, They go to the movies, all series crossover, apollo is a drama queen, arcade games, big crossover!, boom boxes, but they are mentioned, caset tapes, dramatic apollo, im totally gonna draw apollo in the outfit he's wearing one of these days, it's hinted at but some aspects in the story dont work well with it, its a fun time, its too good not to, let them r e l a x for once dude, like seriously bro, like timelines, neon clothing, not to mention it's a vaporwave theme too, now imagine that in spongebobs voice, original mario bros., percy and jason are best bros, return to oz - Freeform, the goonies - Freeform, the romans aren't in here bc this is placed in new york, the whole shebang, they just want to watch a movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merdel11/pseuds/merdel11
Summary: School is over. Exams are finished. The last day is done.Nico and his friends are going to the movies to celebrate the end of the school year before going back to camp. Their plans never go smoothly, however.(80's AU! Vaporwave theme too)
Relationships: (IMPLIED), Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, they are all friends!
Kudos: 14





	Why Do Our Movie Plans Never Work Out?

**Author's Note:**

> AHH! This was the big fic I was telling you guys about the last time I posted. 
> 
> I haven't made something this big in about two years (check the Klance Youtuber AU at the bottom of my page) and I'm SUPER excited about it.
> 
> This is for a group challenge on the Half Blood Amino and it was soo much fun. Writing has been getting a lot more fun as of late, and I think it's bc of what I'm writing. Less depressive shit and more fun times! I write what I feel so I think my mental health is improving. Huh, stark contrast to people who's mental health has been effected negatively by social isolation. I think what the best thing for me is that my hockey year was cut short so I didn't have to deal with the a-holes on my team anymore. Relief flooded over me when I was told that I didn't have to play five more times with them this year. 
> 
> Guess I'm going to be playing with them again next year if hockey is still on, but I've been training, so lets see what happens. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic! I'm super proud of it. Oh, and, because this was for a group challenge, I didn't want to write anything super ship related, so only hints of Solangelo and Percabeth. I'm feeling very Solangelo-y lately, so fluff oneshot is probably in order. Relish all the pop culture references cause those are rare in my fics (¬‿¬)

Nico stuffed his leather jacket into his backpack. The padded leather made the fit tighter than usual , but because of the lack of textbooks , Nico managed. It was  _ way  _ too hot  to wear a heavy jacket, even by Nico’s standards , and he’d be dammed if he had to carry it. 

He  slammed his locker shut and  fastened the lock with a  _ click _ .  He felt eyes on the back of his neck, watching him. The feeling wasn’t new. He has felt like this the entire day .  Nico didn’t know why,  even so,  he knew it would lead to no good. Add piles of stress, late study nights and  end-of-year exams, Nico couldn’t wait to get to Camp Half-Blood. Once he was at camp , there would be no  more  school or monsters trying to eat  him, and  everything would be—

“BOO!”

_ What the ever-living— _ hands were on his  shoulders; s omeone was screaming in his ear. In a flash, a stygian iron sword was at the neck of the  perpetrator .  Thank goodness for the mist otherwise the mortal students around  them  would be in a panic.

Percy didn’t seem fazed.  “Ha!”  he exclaimed like  Nico wasn’t moments away from mortally  wounding  him . His neon wind breaker an d  baggy pants were brighter than his future. If Percy had been wearing his varsity jacket, Nico probably would’ve s tabbed him right then and there.  “You should’ve seen the look on your face! I totally scared the  kajeebies out of  you . ” 

“ What’s your damage, Jackson?  I could’ve killed you! ” Nico  said  with a  scowl. 

“ You wouldn’t have. You’re my best friend.”

“No,  I’m not,” Nico said ,  returning his sword back into  his skull ring . “Jason’s  your best friend.” 

"Potatoe,  patat oe . Second best  friend then. “ Nico ’s scowl darkened when Percy tried to ruffle his  hair.  He  ha d been dealing with the idiot named Percy Jackson for years,  h e easily  dodge d .  Nevertheless, Nico allowed Percy to wrap a friendly  arm around his shoulder.  Will  had  said that slowly allowing the people he trusted to touch him would be good for  Nico , so  he begrudgingly did as he was told.  Nico  had to admit,  he  did feel  in a better place with Percy than before, so he guessed Will’s advice was working .  With that, t he two started walking to the atrium together.

After Gaea, Chiron thought it be a good idea for some year-round campers to attend school, especially if they were looking to have a career in the future. Nico was one of them. Working for his dad in the Underworld was not something Nico wanted to do for the rest of his life. School was the best alternative. 

Though it may have been a bit  hazardous , Chiron enrolled  all  the year-roun ders at the same scho ol. If Goode Secondary School ha d n’t  kicked Percy out yet, then it was a goo d a school as any. Chiron was a worried about so many demigods in one place, but as most all-year campers ha dn’t  been to school for years, he  elected it wasn’t a good idea to separate  them . Having demigods in several different schools  could’ve  helped the satyrs find new demigods ,  except he  thought it more benefi cial to have friends already at the ir school . W hy? It’s always been hard to fit in as a demigod. 

H e’d hate to admit it,  yet  Nico was grateful Chiron decided  to keep all of them  in the same place .  No matter how many times Nico’s been stuck in some  unpleasant situations due to  a  monster’s bad timing , h e  doesn’t think he would’ve survived the year without people to fall back on.  Also, Nico had  _ a lot  _ of work to do . The education system was starkly different  from what  it was in the forties.  He had to practically relearn everything he was taught, not to mention  the  years of school  that he never covered. The last time Nico had stepped foot in a  learning facility  was five years ago  w hen Bianca was still alive .  Even after a summer of  studying , he still had to take extra after school courses to keep on top of  his courses. If he didn’t have the friends to copy homework off of , he would’ve failed, no doubt . 

All the demigods who were at Goode were meeting at one of the tables in the atrium. They then were going to hitch a ride with Argus back to camp and hope nobody notices a bunch of students filing into a  suspicious _ Delphi’s Strawberry Service  _ van. Well, half the demigods were. The others, including Nico, were headed to the movie theatre as a celebratory end-of-year shebang.  None of them watched movies often, so this was an exciting event.  Nico didn’t know what  film they were going to watch , though Will was talking to him yesterday about how he couldn’t wait to see this new release.  _ The Goonies _ , was it?  So, they were probably going to  see that. He didn’t know. Whenever they were discussing it during lunch or after school, he was only half listening .  The other half of his attention was focused on studying  for  the exams he’d  inevitably write. And, as demigods, they couldn’t exactly discus any of this over the phone, if they had one. They’re a bit too bulky to carry around and  are quite expensive . Besides, none of them could even use a Walkman without a monster trying to  eat t hem . 

Percy and Nico were one of the first few  at the designated table , which was a surprise to  both as they were  often the  people late . Luckily,  they didn’t have to wait for  every camper  to be in  attendance , so once all the demigods that were going to the movie theatre were there, they were off.  Apparently , to some, packing your bag was a long and strenuous task.

The movie theatre they were going to  was a short walk  from the school, only about ten minutes. Nico hasn’t been to many movie cinemas before, you know, with  all the  deadly prophecies and quests and living on the streets,  though he has been to a fe w. Rarely ever to watch a movie,  unfortunately. Oh, no, monsters just really seem to like  visiting places of  entertainment once they’re out of Tartarus, so he always ends up being corn er ed in  the places by hung ry , demigod -e ating  mythical creatures. He guesses they want to know about the latest shows their meals  are  raving about , however , Nico wouldn’t know . H e never sparred time to ask.

The group strolled down the pavement loudly , talking enthusiastically and making what some would call a  ruckus .  He didn’t know if  bringing so much attention to themselves was a good idea with  Nico’s odd feelings of  being  watched ,  however, no passer-by spare d them any mind, so Nico guessed it was all right . He didn’t even know if the other’s felt the same. Nico didn’t want to pass his feelings off  as nothing yet, but he didn’t say anything either. Freedom from the demigod world was something they all lacked .  He wouldn’t take this away from them. He wouldn’t take  this away from himself. 

He  was walking beside Will and Piper. Percy, Annabeth and Leo were walking in front of them . He could hear them  chatting noisily about something, but he didn’t bother listening.  If Percy and Leo were involved, it was probably a conversation not worth his time.

“--what do you think, Nico?” Piper asked on the other side of  W ill. Her teased hair was  braided in some areas , flying around her face , the same as her loose off-the-shoulder shirt. He was so spaced out that he didn’t catch a word they were saying. 

“Huh?”

Will snorted beside him. “Very intelligent,” he mumbled. Nico elbowed him.

“Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros. Which one do you  think 'll be better?”

“You  expect me to know stuff about  arcade games?” Nico huffed. 

“Yeah, Pipe r , this is Nico we’re talking about. He doesn’t know what an arcade game is, much less tell them apart .” Nico  sniffed  at that but didn’t argue. It was  true. "That means  I’m right . Mario Bros. will forever be phat stuff ,” Will said with confidence. 

“Gag me with a spoon. Super Mario Bros. hasn't even come out yet. How do you know?” Piper  demanded .

“ Sure, it hasn’t come out yet, but when it does in September, you’ll be eating your words . ”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

They arrived at the theatre with  seven minutes to spare.  For a city , it wasn’t a huge place.  Only three theatres and a small  entrance .  A letter board hung  outside the  building; new releas es were labeled in order. Everything seemed to be decorated in bright  colours .  The entire  property  was decked out  in red and blue paint, twinkly lights edging most desks and  walls. It was nice , all the same . Nico liked it. Instead of fending for his life, he  actually got to admire the  décor for once.

They were in the line for snacks when Annabeth s potted someone she  knew .

“Magnus? Is that you?”  She  yelled across the room . Percy was r ubbing off on her.

The person in question turned around. Currently, he was in line for  tickets. The boy had a blonde mullet and was wearing  acid-wash jeans with a matching jacket and a white tank top underneath. He  sort of reminded Nico of Jason,  but the vibe was entirely different.  Magnus seemed less stereotypical hero and more pessimistic teen.  He was with two other people \-- one  with short, combed back green hair and the other wearing a green hijab  and a n ankle-length green skirt.  Nico had never met  Magnus, or any of  his friends . He knew he was Annabeth’s cousin, however .  She had mentioned him a few times in passing . 

The boy smiled, said something to  his friends , then jogged over .  And, holy  crow, did he  smell like death .  Nico couldn’t feel it from the other side of the room, but up close  the  aura  was t erribly strong , unusually strong. Someone as living and breathing shouldn’t be so. . . spirit -y . His aura resembled someone  you’d meet in the Underworld, not in your local movie theatre .  Nico ’s  eyebrows furrowed  in confusion.

Magnus stopped in front of Annabeth , smiling  widely . “Hey, Annabeth! What are you doing here?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What am  _ I  _ doing here? What are  _ you  _ doing here?  You live in Boston.”

Magnus shrugged nonchalantly . “Visiting, I guess.” There was something Magnus wasn’t saying . Nico didn’t intrude, no matter how much he wanted answers.

“And you didn’t think to tell me?”  Annabeth said  incredulously .  The snack line  w as getting closer to the counter . An nabeth, Magnus and Nico stepped aside to let the people behind them move up while the rest of the demigod group start ed ordering their refreshments. Sure, Nico wasn’t  a part of this lovely reunion, but something  was  up with Annabeth’ s cousin and Nico needed to figure it out.  If it had anything to do with the Underworld, it was his  business .  So,  unusual death auras  are his responsibility. Besides, neither of them seemed to mind.

On the topic of death, y ou would assume that if someone  had  the aura  of a de ceased person, they’d seem unn atural, but Magnus seemed as natural as one came.  Bright, healthy and living. He oozed nature.  Nico felt like he was standing in front of a child o f  Demeter.

Nico looked a little deeper i nto Magnus’ spirit.  Even the aura of death wasn’t quite right. Yes,  he s melled  completely dead, but there was something else about it.  Nico couldn’t put his finger on  it . A part  still living, more than a spirit roaming around in the mortal world.

Magnus had the decency to look sheepish. “It was kind of unplanned. We took the wro ng bus and instead of going to this nice bakery Sam was telling us about, we ended up  in New York, New York.”

Annabeth looked at him like she was questioning her sanity. “That’s a  three-and-a-half-hour drive ,” she  deadpanned . 

A gold pendant hanging from Magnus’ neck shifted slightly when he rubbed  it embarrassedly .  The pendant was nicely crafted. From here, Nico could only make out faint designs,  yet  he could see someone put a lot of effort making it. Nico would love having an item like that, especially if he could get a child of  Hephaestus to charm it so it could summon a weapon, like his skull ring. Now  _ that  _ would be cool.

“We fell asleep.”  Once again, Nico felt like Magnus wasn’t telling the entire truth. _ What’s the reason behind the lack of information?  _ Nico  thought to himself.

Annabeth shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.  Nico could tell she didn’t fully believe the explanation either . Nonetheless, Annabeth didn’t pry like she often did , just continued with the conversation. “That sounds like something Percy would do.”

Magnus snorted. “He probably  _ has  _ done it before.” Nico silently agreed.

All of a sudden , a memory popped into Nico’s mind. H is father had told him  something  once, before he saved Hazel from the  Fields of Asphodel.  _ Other pantheons don’t bode well,  _ _ son _ _.  _ Nico took that as  Greeks and Romans d idn ’ t work well together , but with how general it was, it could’ve meant more than  only those two.  What if. . . what if other myths were real too? Nico remembered a time where  Hades referenced the god Loki, that he was always causing him trouble . Norse myths didn’t have the same type of underworld as Greek ones.  Theirs had more places to go ,  all waiting for  Ragnarök ? Was  it? (Nico may have only  known that from this superhero comic series that he found when a  _ dracaena  _ exploded into a  comic  bookstore he was at . He may have lifted a few )  Then that would mean. . . 

Magnus  was an  _ einherji _ . That’s one mystery solved. Nico’s mind was a bit  blown by the fact of other myths being real, however , Nico wasn’t that surprised. If Greek and Roman  demigods  existe d , why couldn’t other  legends be real too? Now Nico had to figure out why Magnus was in New York, especially if he’s Norse. This  was Greek area.  He shouldn’t be here.

Nico decided to  wait to question Magnus . He didn’t know what Annabeth knew of Magnus’ heritage and something like this should be kept secret.  Plus, he still felt like someone was watching him. Whatever it was could be listening too. He didn’t want valuable information placed in the wrong hands.

Magnus and his friends —Alex and Sam  they introduced their names as . Alex, Nico was pretty sure, was an  einherji too, but Sam seemed completely alive . It was a bit confusing — weren’t going to the same movie as the other demigods. While Magnus  w as going to see  _ Return to Oz _ , Nico and the rest of them were going to see  _ The Goonies _ , something Will couldn’t shut up about. Nico  wasn’t able  to complain much about Will’s constant  chattering , though, bec ause  while Nico was disturbing Annabeth’s conversation, Will had bought Nico some of his  favourite snacks, so he owed him one.

They  had  just sat down in their seats (a few below top  row . It’s the best view according to Leo and Piper )  when the feeling of eyes watching him got stronger. It wasn’t an overbearing feeling, like he had to leave  _ right now _ , but rather  it increased enough to put Nico on the edge of his seat.  Movement caught his eye. A blonde girl near the fire exit ,  watching him intensely.  She was with two other people, but they were occupied with their own selves. 

The girl  turned away when she realized Nico had noticed her starring.  Nico brushed off the feeling after that. Sure, those people could totally end up being monsters wanting to devour Nico’s innings, but they weren’t doing him any  harm . If they ended up  being bloodthirsty monsters, who cares! Right  now he was going to sit back and  have a nice outing with his friends , watch a movie.

He kept quiet about  the girl staring at him  to the other demigods. He had to admit, he wanted to  only be  a teenager for once , not worrying if he was going to die by the end of the  night .  So, he turned back to the screen and watched the ads roll.

\--------------

Halfway through the movie, the feeling of being watched  swelled tenfold . I t went  from  a tingling at the base of his neck to feeling  of eyes  were  boring into his skull. Nico side glanced  t he others beside him. By their tens e shoulders and fidgety hands, Nico could tell they could feel it too. He didn’t know if it was at the same level as hi s , but they sure felt something. 

He nudged Will beside him. “I think we should go,” Nico whispered.

Will sighed. In the dim lighting, Nico could see his disappointed frown clear as day . Will knew as well as Nico what that meant.  Because of their  demigoddess , the movie that they were watching would have to be finished another day.

“Yeah,” he whispered back.  His  unfinished popcorn  was already being packed into his bag.

Nico could on ly see his profile , but  Will’s dejection was still there in his furrowed eyebrows and the rough way he was slotting his pop  into the side pocket of his  sack . Nico nudged Will again. “I’ll make it up to you,”  he promised. “I’ll  force Chiron to get the VHS or something.”

Will didn’t say anything, but he did smile gratefully. That was a win at least.

They soon got the attention of the others and were off in no time.

As they left the theatre room,  flickering lights of the movie still spla sh ing over  the theatre  seats and  intense soundtrack music pounding into  their  ears , Nico noticed that the  girl that was staring at him before was getting up too, as well as h er companions.  Nico frowned. He  felt  his stomach twist.  That’ s not good.

Nico and his friends  left the theatre in a flash, doors swinging behind them.  Argus wouldn’t be by to pick them up for a while and they  didn’t want to chance it by waiting. If they sat the re, their smell would become a homing beacon for any monster in the area.  He guessed going to the movies wasn’t such a good idea after all .  So,  t hey started  their way to Long Island Sound by walking .  Of course, a t some point they were going to need to catch a taxi or a bus. Like Hades they were going  by foot  the whole way there,  nevertheless, it’s better to  keep moving than loitering. 

The sidewalks were how they should be on a Friday afternoon: busy. The air was filled with the honks of horns, yelling of people and the thudding steps of shoes on pavement. Nico hoped they would somehow get lost in the crowd, but he knew that wouldn’t work if it was a monster waiting for  them.

The spirits of the group were significantly  lower  compared to when they were walking to the  m o v i e s .  Percy, Leo and Piper’s  prattling was more  subdued, and everyone was  more attentive . They were all ready for a fight.

Nico was at the back of the group again.  Leo was strolling along beside him with the  other four up front .  Because of his expert knowledge of New York, Percy was in the lead , taking them through walkways and shortcuts. For some reason, whenever  he wanted to go a certain way that would lead them to camp faster, construction or a  roadblock would appear that  Percy swore wasn’t there earlier.  Those construction spots and  roadblocks lead them way off course  and soon they were going  the complete opposite direction of Long Island Sound , which  was unfavourable . Nico had a sneaking suspicion that these roadblocks weren’t put in their way on accident. Someone was trying to lead them somewhere.  Nico couldn’t tell if it was for better or for worse. What he did know was that this was more than a monster follo wing them. No, monster would put in this kind of effort. No, this was something more.  At least they made some major distance on the movie theatre, so that was a plus in Nico’s book.

They were  walking past an alley between buildings when something  slammed into Nico . He tumbled to t he ground.

“Woah, Nico!” Leo exclaimed in surprise. The others around him exclaimed their shouts of surprise too, stopp ing in their tracks immediately .

Luckily,  Nico knew how to fall so it didn’t hurt as much as it would’ve . T he ground was still cement , however . Without his leather jacket on, his arms scraped against the rough surface painfully .  The scrapes wouldn’t bleed at all, but they still stung .

He didn’t take time to recover and  bounced back quickly.  Nico was  back  on his feet in a matter of second s , stance ready to fight and starring down whatever hit him.

He soon realized that it was another person who had collided into him.  _ Uh, duh!  _ The dude  didn’t fall , which was  totally  unfair . When Nico took a closer look, he discovered that it w as one of the dudes that wa s with girl  from  earlier.  He had dark skin and  closely shaven hair.  A loose black tank top hung from his body and he was wearing a weird golden necklace. It seemed like a relic of some sort, but Nico couldn’t place it. 

Nico was ready to throw insults at the dude, but  before he could,  t wo other people came tumbling out of the alleyway after him . It was the girl from before and the other guy in the trio. All of them were breathing heavily, as if they just finished a hundred-meter sprint. 

The guy who ran into Nico start  apologizing profusely. “Oh, god, I am  _ so  _ sorry! I didn’t mean to run into you. ” 

Nico narrowed his eyes at the other . He guesse d he could give him the benefit of the doubt instead of shouting at him,  but before he could say  as such , Percy spoke up. “Wait, Carter? Sadie?”

The  boy that didn’t  trample Nico  and the girl turned to look at Percy. Nico  looked to  his friends . All of them looked as confused as Nico was, except for Annabeth . She was Annabeth, though. Nothing confu ddled her.

“Percy? Annabeth?” the girl, Sadie,  asked .

A  grin spread across Percy’s face. Annabeth followed. “What are you guys doing in New York? Aren’t you guys supposed to stay in Brooklyn?” Annabeth questioned. 

“Wait here a darn good second,” Leo  interrupted , not  allowing the three to answer. He waved a flailing limb at the trio. “You know them?” he  directed to Percy and Annabeth .

“Yeah, we met them once before,” Percy said. He dragged a hand through his hair. “ Long story. Like Annabeth said, why’re you here? And why  did you decide to tackle Nico ?” he asked  the newcomers.

The guy that ran into Nico flushed. “I didn’t mean to,” he defended.

The other boy, Carter, Nico assumed, answered.  “ Also a long story,”  Carter said . “Not enough time to explain. We should probably get going now. You guys want to come with? ”

Percy and Annabeth shared a look, then shrugged. “Alright,” Percy said. Guess they were taking a detour before heading to Camp Half-Bl ood. Nothing new.

\--------------

As the group travelled through the sidewalks of New York,  Nico learned that Percy and Annabeth met Sadie and Carter one time during a monster mishap. They were vague on the subject, but Nico guessed there wasn’t much else to be told. When asked, they also said that the trio weren’t demigods either, which confused Nico. They also said they weren’t mortals. If they weren’t demigods and they weren’t mortals, what were they? Unrelated, Nico also learned t hat the boy who ran into  him ’s name was Walt . 

“So,” Leo ventured to the newcomers. “Where are we going?” 

Walt was in front of the group now, leading.  Percy had  took a spot beside Annabeth. Walt looked back  at Leo. “ Wherever life takes us.”  Most laughed, but Leo just grumbled. 

“ Y’know ,  philosophy is cool and all,” Piper said. Nico could tell she was slipping some  charmspeak into her w ords.  “But shouldn’t we be getting back to camp?” She pointed her accusation  at Percy.

“Don’t worry, Piper. I know what I’m doing,” Percy said. Piper didn’t complain further. Percy trusted these people , so they would trust Percy. Plus, Annabeth  didn’t say anything against what they were doing, so Nico guessed it was alright.

After some time, the group ended up on a street  that was lined with brick buildings and bright signs .  Cars filled the road and people were everywhere.  Walt stopped and the r est of them paused too . Complaining  people could be heard around them,  mumbling about the block of the sidewalk and irresponsible teenagers.  No one in the group bothered to move. They  s tayed where they were and let the people go around them. Served them right.

“This is it,”  Walt said , hands on his hip. Nico looked around. This street looked the exact same as all other streets in New York City. He  had no clue where they were or any idea why this road was significant.

“And what’s  _ this _ ?” Sadie asked.  She practically read his mind. 

“Broadway,” Will answered for him. Of course, Will’s a child of Apollo. It was probably  mandatory for him to know every little thing about  anything art related.

“Alright, but why?” Sadie asked again.  Once again,  Nico was thinking the same thing.

“That’s where the trail ended,”  Walt answered simply. 

“What trail?” Leo exclaimed. “We were following a trail?” 

Carter gave him a  _ no duh  _ face. “What do you think we were following?”

“Well, I  dunno ,” Leo said, arms swinging. He almost hit Nico in the  face .  H e swatted him  away before  he could. “Last time I asked I was given a vague answer.  _ Wherever life takes us _ ,” Leo  monologued theatrically . He took out a piece of  scrap metal from his belt (fanny pack)  and started fiddling with it.  “What is that even supposed to mean! Are you a poet or something?  Do you take joy in making  people confused?”

Leo probably would’ve kept going if someone didn’t shove him into Nico.  _ Seriously _ , Nico though.  _ What is up with people running into him today? _

Luckily, it wasn’t like the football tackle Walt gave him earlier so Nico only stumbled a bit.  The person who  committed the  heinous crime didn’t apologize , though . F ortunately, it was someone that they knew. Unfortunately, it was not someone that they wanted to bump into , or, rather, bump into them.

He was wearing a  colourful , button down shirt, first few button undone, that was tucked into normal jeans. His golden hair swooshed as he looked from the demigods to the non-demigods (Walt, Sadie and Carter weren’t  demigods, but they weren’t mortals either, so he didn’t know what to call them. Boom, the name non-demigods  was made) . The guy was cocky, a confident smile slathered  on his face. If you knew what he looked like, you could spot him a mile away. “Oh, hey, fire guy, death dude. Fancy meeting you here,” Apollo said. Yes, the  god Apollo. What’re the chances?  “Ah, Will, my  favourite son! ” he wrapped an arm around Will. He wasn’t very gentle about it as Will  tripped  before stabling himself. “ Don’t tell Austin I said that.”

Will waved meekly. “Hey, Dad.” Walt, Sadie and Carter shared a look with  each other but didn’t  say anything. 

“So,” Apollo clapped his hands together. “We just need to wait for the others  to come and then we’re all set.”

“Others?” Leo asked like  _ what in the ever-living hades is this guy talki _ _ n _ _ g  _ _ about? _ “ What’re we all set for?  I didn’t even have a clue we were meeting people. Did you guys?” he  asked us  incredulously . All the  Greek demigods shook the ir heads while the non-demigods shrugged, as if it was it was a debatable subject.

Apollo looked  affronted . “What ! Didn’t you feel me calling you the entire day?” 

_ This piece of dung,  _ Nico gaped.  “That was you!” he accused .

“No duh it was me. Who  d id  y ou think it was?” Apollo flipped his hair  in a  poised manner . 

“Wait, what calling?” Leo demanded. “What are you talking about?”  Poor Leo, h e was so out of the loop. He made a mini Festus the dragon with the metal he was fiddling with and then dismantled it again, making something new.

“The entire day I felt like something was watching me!” Nico explained. “I was waiting for a big monster attack during my last exam or something, but apparently  it's just Apollo being Apollo.”

Apollo looked aghast. “Apollo being Apollo? And what does that mean.”

Will shook his head. “You’re a bit dramatic, Dad, don’t  ya ’ think?”

“Yeah, with all you’re creepy stalking Nico thingy,” Piper added helpfully.

He looked  decisive for a moment before he conceded. That didn’t stop him from defending his egotistical self , though . “ Okay, yes, I am dramatic. I’ll take that,  cause it is a  _ compliment,”  _ Apollo empha sized. “I deny the creepy stalker thing. That is untrue. I was  merely calling on a demigod for assistance , alright? For the whole day . I n a possibly creepy fashion. That does not mean I’m a creepy stalker!” He pointed at Piper.

We looked at  him like  _ sure, buddy, whatever helps you sleep at night.  _ Apollo didn’t notice the stares and started humming . 

It only took a couple minutes of waiting before Apollo spotted whoever we were  waiting for in the crowd. He tugged the person in by the  collar , which the person  didn’t like , and plotted them beside Annabeth. It was Magnus.  Of course. 

Magnus  looked properly disgruntled, as well as very confused. Nico felt a bit bad for him.

“You guys are cousins, right?” Apollo said but didn’t wait for them to respond. “ Where’s your friends? ” he addressed Magnus.  “ The scary one with the axe and the one who can shapeshift?”

“I mean, they were walking with me until you assaulted me. ” Magnus looked to Annabeth. “Hi again. Why am I here?” 

“How should I know?” she said helpfully .

“Well that will not do at all. I need you all here to have the maximum range,” Apollo mumbled as if they didn’t speak at  all or accused him of assault .

Soon enough, Apollo spotted two  more  people in the crowd and pulled them in.  They were much more aggressive than  Magnus was, immediately taking a  swing at Apollo . He didn’t take notice, once again,  and plotted them right beside Magnus. It was Alex and Sam, Magnus’ friends that they met earlier.  They looked the same as they did at the theatre, but Alex was sipping on some pop and both looked a lot angrier than when Nico was introduced to them. That was as to be expected.

Apollo smiled at the group proudly, hands clasped together in front of  him . “ Now that we’re all here, which,  Annibell’s cousin and friends, it took you long enough, I have something very important to show you all.”

Before Apollo could continue, Percy cut in . “If this is a quest, none of us are interested. We’d rather have a calm summer than one  filled  with death and  lethal amount of stress.” Everyone  readily agreed.

“Well,” Apollo sniffed. “I can see how much I’m appreciated here. You know, usually demigods would be bowing to my feet and feeding me peeled grapes i n my  presence , but I’ll let it slide for this bunch because all of you contributed to saving the world at least once. And  you’re Will’s friends and his mom is hot.”

Will scrunched his nose up in disgust. “Gross!” he exclaimed.

Apollo didn’t mind him. “I am the god of truth,” he stated. “Anyways, that’s not why I’m here. I have something very important to show you .”  He produced a boom box and a  cassette tape out of thin air. Nico couldn’t  see what the tape said very well with Apollo waving it around, but he did manage to read ‘vapor’ something. 

Apollo slide the cassette tape into the speaker and pressed play. An electronic type music started to play. 

It played for a moment, everyone sharing confused looks, before Apollo said  anythign more.  “Isn’t it awesome?” Apollo shouted excitedly over the music. 

Nico’s friends, including Nico himself,  looked like they wanted to be anywhere put here. “You dragged us from our regular  scheduled  activities to force us to listen to  _ music _ ?” Alex drawled.  She crossed her arms over her chest ( Alex had told them her pronouns earlier when introduced, so those were the ones Nico used ). 

“No duh!”  Apollo said. “Isn’t it gnarly?” 

“It’s. . . music. What’s so  cool  about that?” Sam said. Like everyone else, she seemed  to be contemplating  all  of her life decisions. Will was shaking his head furiously at Sam. He was a c hild of Apollo. He knew well enough to not ask his father about music if you wanted to  get out of there with any sanity left.

Apollo groaned ,  despairingly . Because yes, we didn’t care about whatever music Apollo found and it was o, such a travesty. “Don’t you get it?” he cried. “This is a  new subgenre of electronic music  I found! It’s called vaporwave. How cool a name is that? It’s the  badest name I’ve ever heard! Don’t you hear  it’s beautiful, slowed down, choppy samples of newly release d music? Look! Can you hear that smooth saxophone?  Whoever made this made some real choice decisions !” 

Will looked to be the only one to know what he was talking about, but even he looked a bit confused. “I thought vaporwave was an art style?  Kayla’s really interested in it.”

Apollo looked like he was just  told that neon would be going out of style soon . On second thought, Apollo would probably be devastated if that happened. If you look at what he was wearing, he seemed to be enjoying neon immensely . “That’s the thing!” he said e agerly. “It’s a type of music  _ and  _ art style! It’s a thing of the future.  The prophecy also said something about a n internet  meme, but I have no clue what that means.”

Apollo must finally be  losing his mind.  “There was a prophecy about a genre of music?” Carter  asked  dubiously. If his eyebrows were  raised any further, they’d fly off his face. 

“Well, of course! Honestly, you people don’t know anything,” Apollo sighed. “I even have a  haiku for it. ” Percy and Will groaned. They both knew how bad Apollo’s haikus were. Apollo payed them no mind. “ _ This music is gnarly bro/ _ _ vaporwave is the best dude/appreciate it.” _

_ " _ How about,  _ this is boring as crap/ _ _ why are we here? Take us home/ _ _ your haiku was super bad,” _ Sadie said  snarkily .  _ Quite  _ _ awesome _ __ _ to insult a god _ _ ,  _ Nico thought. He liked her. 

“First line was too long,” Apollo said, decidedly ignoring Sadie’s insults. 

“No, it wasn’t.”

“ Yes, it was. I’m the god of poetry. I’d know.”

“No, it wasn’t!”

“Yes, it was! It was three syllables to long!”

“How about doesn’t count!”

“Oh, sure--” Apollo was interrupted before he could finish.

“Does it really matter?” Annabeth  exclaimed . “Apollo, was that all you wanted?”

He looked betrayed. “I was just sharing something new and exciting that I thought you  youngling s would appreciate. Sorry for my  respect of music and the new generation,” Apollo said sarcastically. 

Nico rolled his eyes.  _ Apollo was such a drama queen.  _

_ “ _ I mean, it is pretty cool,” Will relented. He was silent for a second, listening to mu sic blasting through the speakers . “Is that Bon Jovi?”

Apoll o wrapped an arm around Will’s shoulders for the second time . Will looked uncomfortable with the contact while Apollo only smiled  proudly .  “This man, my own  brethren , knows good music!” he  happily said . “His friends on the  other hand ,” Apollo finished with a sniff.  “Also, did you know I was  Jon  Bon Jovi’s main influence to start his  career? Like, he looked at me, saw my handsome face , hot bod and heard my music skill s and was like ‘ imma be a musician’. I am the sole reason you have the  band's music today ! You all should thank me. He sure didn’t. Never credited me for his success either! ”

“Sure,” Piper said, rolling her eyes. Nico could tell she knew what Apollo was saying was crap. 

“And,” he continued. “ Their  new  song ‘Only Lonely’? Totally helped them on it. Never said thank you. Artists are so ungrateful these days .”

Percy dragged a hand down his face , uncaring of what Apollo was saying.  “Look, ” Percy started . He breathed in deeply,  connecting his h ands in front of his face. He looked contemplative, like he was flou ndering for a word to describe his utter  distress and  turmoil.  Percy didn’t know if he could go on, living through the ever-lasting stresses of  his torturing  existence .  Nico felt the same.  “Y ou made us  leave in the middle of our movie, ruined our entire night out — one of the few times we actually get to relax , mind you — to show us some stupid music. How about, as a gesture of  kindness  over the fact that we listened to  your music and let you rant, you magic us back to our respective homes. I’m sure Magnus, Alex a nd Sam would appreciate not driving another three hours for your sorry butt .” Percy sliced his conjoined hands through the air like a sword. The three Norse demigods  nodded in agreement . 

“Yeah, I’d really appreciate not spending money on a taxi fair,” Nico piped up, the first time in a long time.

Apollo glared at all of us. “You  people  are just like  Jon ,” he muttered.  “Fine,” he sighed  pitifully . “I’ll transport you to  your homes, but I expect you to share this music with the  other people there.  I want it to be  the next raving genre , understand?” We all nodded our agreements. None of us were going to do it, but if we argued with him, we’d never leave. “Magicians,  Brooklyn House?” 

“Yup,” Walt confirmed. Huh,  apparently Walt, Sadie and Carter are  wizards or something. Maybe they go to Illvermorny . Wait, does that mean the magic world exists?

“Einherj ar  and  Valkyrie,  Hotel Valhalla?” W ow, Apollo doesn’t know  any  subtlety . 

“Actually,” Magnus broke in. “The Chase Space. We should check in.” The other two agreed.

“Greeks, Camp Half-Blood?” We all nodded. “Well, fine,  tap your shoes together and say the words ‘there’s no place like home ’ three times , then I can transport you.”

“Are you serious?” Nico protested.

“You’re the ones of rained on my parade! I can make you do whatever I want,” Apollo said stubbornly.  _ Good golly _ . “Now, don’t have a cow! Do it!”

We all grumbled and did as we were told. Leo was the only one who looked excited about it. “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home , there’s no place like home,” we all said out of sync.

“Good enough,” Apollo grumbled. “Abracadabra!”

In a flash of light, which was probably unneeded, but the Wizard of Oz thing was also unneeded so what could Nico say, the next thing  Nico knew was that he was standing atop of Half-Blood Hill with Will , Piper, Annabeth, Leo and Percy standing beside him.  Magnus, Alex, Sam, Walt, Sadie and Carter were  nowhere in sight.

He  looked behind him to check on Peleus . He  seemed undisturbed, like people appearing out of nowhere was totally normal. Probably was for him. That dragon has  truly seen it all. 

Nico was a bit sad that  they weren’t able say goodbye to his new acquaintances , but the feeling didn’t last long. He knew he’d see them again someday.  He didn’t know when, but  he knew he would . 

Nico looked ahead, towards Camp-Half Blood spread before him. Some summer campers  whose schools ended earlier  were already here , settled in and ready .  At the moment , m ost were heading towards the Dinning Pavilion. It seemed like  Nico and his friends  were  right on time for supper.

He looked toward the canoe lake — as sparkling as ever — t he Big House with  its baby blue paint, the cabins and Hestia at the campfire, the volleyball courts and  the  Ampitheater . Then, he looked to his friends beside him, some already walking down the hill towards the Mess Hall.  Nico could feel excitement and anticipation fill his stomach. 

“ Yo , Nico, you  coming ?” Will yelled from halfway down the hill. 

“Yep!” he  shouted back.

Nico took one more look at the scenery before him and started jogging towards Will . He could tell that this was going to be a good summer. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, and we're done.
> 
> Thoughts, comments, constructive criticism and kudos are always welcome! Especially the constructive criticism part.
> 
> That's all I have for you today! I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for more!
> 
> https://linktr.ee/merdel11 <\-- here is my link tree where you can find resources to help the BLM movement, LGBTQ+ youth, support Indigenous peoples rights, the crisis in Yemen and others. Read articles. Sign petitions. Donate. Share. Educate. It is your job to stay up to date and recent events around the world. It is your job to educate yourself on subjects you don't know about, especially social justice issues. I can get you started, but you need to pull your own weight. I can't dismantle your own mindset, I can only work on my own. Until everyone is equal, the fight isn't stopping. This is your job, your responsibility. Use it well. 
> 
> Stay safe and stay educated! <3


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